Laura was right as well. Maeve would need his help in overcoming her guilt and horror about what had happened that night.
As he crossed the living room with Maeve and entered the bedroom, Sheba jumped up on the foot of the bed. “Well, look who’s here.”
He released Maeve and went to the cat. As soon as he extended his curved palm, Sheba lifted her head and met his fingers with a purr.
He took his time trailing his hand along her silken fur.
“I still can’t get over how much she likes you.” Maeve stood a couple of feet away. She was smiling at her cat, her witch’s muse.
“Sheba knows I love you, that’s why. I’ve loved you for a long time. For months.”
She moved closer. They were finally alone.
He turned toward her and drew her into his arms. A kiss followed, but it wasn’t like anything he’d known before. Maeve was a first for him. His alpha-wolf was at the fore, but beneath were his growing warlock senses.
He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. With his left hand, he held her loosely across her shoulders. He kept kissing her.
His alpha drive took over. He knew he was releasing a flood of his bonding scent, but he couldn’t help it. Everything within his soul and his body wanted her, wanted to make her his own, now and forever.
She drew back. “Braden, what is this?”
“What do you mean?” He tried to kiss her again but she pulled away just enough to plant a hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry, Maeve. I…want, no I need to bond with you.”
She stared at him, her lips parted. Tears touched her eyes. “Even after what happened with Laura, you want to bond with me?” She sounded stunned.
“Well, yes.”
She laughed, then she slung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. You are the most remarkable man I have ever known.
Maeve.
She parted her lips and he drove his tongue inside. He was trembling. His wolfness was taking over. I can’t control this, Maeve. If you don’t want to bond with me, I’d better leave now.
He drew back and released her. He shook with need, head-to-toe. His cheeks kept elongating.
But she didn’t leave, instead she picked Sheba up off the bed, went to the bedroom door and gently pushed her outside. Sheba meowed, but to Braden’s ears, it sounded like approval.
Maeve closed the door and turned to face him. “So, how do we do this, wolf, because I’m all in.”
Braden levitated swiftly toward her, picked her up and carried her to the bed. He levitated as he tore her clothes from her body. He then stripped faster than lightning out of his own.
Maeve laughed the whole time and the sound was a symphony to his wolf’s ears. She would never fully shift, but she sprouted a thin layer of red fur on the backs of her hands and along the sides of her cheeks.
When he had her on her back, he jumped on top, part wolf part man.
She reached up and stroked his face, digging her nails into his fur. Will you bond with me, Maeve? Will you be my alpha-female? Will you serve the Landing Pack as you’ve served them for months already?
She didn’t answer right away, but he saw a rim of gold around her light blue eyes. Even her cheeks had elongated wolf-style. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.
She stroked his fur with her fingers and looked at him. You’re beautiful as a wolf, Braden.
He waited, his body tense. If she didn’t verbally agree to the bond, he’d have to take a cold shower. Maybe an ice bath. Then he’d have to leave, take up a room in the shifters’ quarters.
But her wolf-features softened so that she smiled. “Of course, I’ll bond with you. You are the man I want, the wolf I desire, and more than anything in the world, you’re the future I know that’s right for me.”
His own wolfness eased back. His fur disappeared as well.
In this moment, he was more man than wolf. “I vow to do everything in my power to bring a portion of happiness into your life. Our work has only just begun. I never thought my path would take me permanently here to Elegance, but together we’ll scour the Graveyard every night and hunt down dark covens and free those enslaved by dark spells.”
She caressed his neck, his shoulders, his chest. He loved the feel of her hands on him. “And I vow to love you, to ease you, to be your burrow-mate for now and always. Thank you for coming to Elegance and being willing to stay. I will be your partner in everything.”
“So, you’ll bond with me.”
“I will.”
He let his wolf swell over him once more. His scent poured from his body and enveloped her. He remained in his fully human form as he kissed her and entered her. His mark was already there. The bond sealed the mark and made it permanent. No other wolf would come near her without knowing she belonged only to him.
It seemed odd that at the very moment he was most wolf, he felt more human than he had in a long time. He made love to her, taking her to the heights repeatedly.
She was with him completely, nothing held back.
She wept more than once, but laughed just as often.
Her cries of ecstasy brought him close to the edge of heaven.
~ ~ ~
Later, with the sheets rumpled and Braden on his back, snoring, Maeve awoke. It was noon. She didn’t know what had disturbed her sleep.
She was exhausted, though, and started to drift off. In this drowsy state, she felt someone come into her bedroom, yet she didn’t feel panicky.
She forced her eyes to open and there they were, Frank and Laura. They hovered at the foot of the bed. Each was smiling. Suddenly, a tremendous wave of peace flowed over her, like a warm, gentle breeze. All the suffering of the past eighteen-months drifted away and in its stead was nothing but tranquility and bliss.
Laura held her gaze and nodded. Be well, Maeve of Elegance.
Frank blew her a kiss. Be well, Sweetheart. You deserve him.
She wanted to say something, to thank them both, to express her gratitude. But just like that, they were gone.
Be well. She would treasure the words forever.
She turned on her side and drew close to Braden, easing against his big warm body.
Be well.
Laura’s words fit the state of her mind and heart perfectly. She’d become an alter witch through no design or desire of her own. Five Bridges had for months seemed like it would hold nothing but death and horror for her.
Now she had the love of a good man, she would share his bed for as many years as would be given to them, and together they would raise their son and daughter with every ounce of love each possessed.
Braden startled awake, as he’d done after he’d been recovering from his wounds. “Maeve?”
“I’m here.”
She stretched her arm across his chest and he covered it with his own.
“I dreamed Laura was here and your Frank.”
“They were. I saw them, too. I think they were giving us their blessing.”
“I remember now. Laura said, ‘Be well’.”
“Yes, she did.”
He was silent for a moment, then asked, “Are you okay?” His deep voice warmed her heart.
She smiled and snuggled closer. “I’m more than okay.”
“I love you.” His need for sleep begin to drag him back to his slumbers.
“I love you, too.”
With that, she let herself rest, perhaps for the first time since coming to Five Bridges. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought maybe she would have Laura’s final words emblazoned in every corner of the Landing.
Be well.
With Braden, she knew she would.
The End
A Note from Caris
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Coming Up Next
EMERALD FLAME: The next story set in the world of Five Bridges will be the sixth book of The Flame Series and features a beautiful witch and a scarred alpha wolf. Read more about The Flame Series…
About the Author
Caris Roane is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-nine paranormal romance books. Writing as Valerie King, she has published fifty novels and novellas in Regency Romance. Caris lives in Phoenix, Arizona, loves gardening, enjoys the birds and lizards in her yard, but encourages the scorpions to inhabit elsewhere. Her motto: Live the Fang!
Find out more about Caris on her website!
Have You Read These Books by Caris Roane
The Flame Series…
BLOOD FLAME – Book 1
AMETHYST FLAME – Book 2
DARK FLAME – Book 3
AMBER FLAME – Book 4
CHRISTMAS FLAME, A Holiday Novella
The Blood Rose Series…
BLOOD ROSE SERIES BOX SET, 1-2-3
EMBRACE THE DARK – Book 1
EMBRACE THE MAGIC – Book 2
EMBRACE THE MYSTERY – Book 3
EMBRACE THE PASSION – Book 4
EMBRACE THE NIGHT – Book 5
EMBRACE THE WILD – Book 6
EMBRACE THE WIND – Book 7
EMBRACE THE HUNT – Book 8
EMBRACE THE POWER – Book 9
The Blood Rose Time Travel Series…
A VAMPIRE’S SOFT EMBRACE – Book 1
A VAMPIRE’S EMBRACE – Book 2
The Blood Rose Tales…
BLOOD ROSE TALES BOX SET
To Peruse the Blood Rose Tales Separately…
TRAPPED – Tale 1
HUNGER – Tale 2
SEDUCED – Tale 3
Guardians of Ascension…
The Original Six Books Published by St. Martin’s Press
ASCENSION – Book 1
BURNING SKIES – Book 2
WINGS OF FIRE – Book 3
BORN OF ASHES – Book 4
OBSIDIAN FLAME – Book 5
GATES OF RAPTURE- Book 6
The Dawn of Ascension Novels, Self-Published by Caris Roane, as part of Guardians of Ascension
BRINK OF ETERNITY as part of VAMPIRE COLLECTION
THE DARKENING
The Rapture’s Edge Series as part of Guardians of Ascension
AWAKENING – Rapture’s Edge Book 1
VEILED – Rapture’s Edge Book 2
REVEALED – Rapture’s Edge Book 3
The Amulet Series…
WICKED NIGHT/DARK NIGHT (Boxed Set)
The Men in Chains Series, Published by St. Martin’s Press
BORN IN CHAINS – Book 1
CHAINS OF DARKNESS – Book 2
UNCHAINED – Book 3
SAVAGE CHAINS – A Separate Novel in the Same World
Find Caris at…
Her Website
Her Blog
Her Facebook Author Page
Her Twitter Page
Her Pinterest Page
For giveaways, freebies, updates on the latest books, and lots of photos, be sure to sign up today for Caris’s mailing list: Caris’s Newsletter
Author of…
Guardians of Ascension Series – Warriors of the Blood crave the breh-hedden
Dawn of Ascension Series – Militia Warriors battle to save Second Earth
Rapture’s Edge Series – Militia Warriors battle to save Third Earth
Blood Rose Series – Only a blood rose can fulfill a mastyr vampire’s deepest needs
Blood Rose Tales – Short tales of mastyr vampires who hunger to be satisfied
Men in Chains Series – Vampires struggle to get free of their chains and save the world
The Flame Series – Hunky ‘Alter’ warriors battle for control of their world
The Amulet Series – Master vampires use special amulets to care for their tribes
Caris Roane, A Touch of Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 5)
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